Chapter 25 How do You Stop a Tidal Wave?

Thanks to my beta, darrelldeam, for going over this for me. All mistakes left are my own. The rewrite is unbetaed. Thanks for the support.

Yay! Once again you get two today.

Whew, this one was a toughie. All the changes I made in the past chapters, caught up here. Well, there are still a few I have to remember, but it did make this one hard. Now, I'm glad I shortened the last one and added to this one, because it plays well with the subject. Enjoy.

The last time I posted the first scene I got a bit of ridicule, but I wanted to show that the boys are still just children for all their power. So, yeah, they are going to make mistakes.

Just an FYI, which I put I all my stories, because inevitably someone tries to correct me. I do know the difference between 'Gary and I' and 'me and Gary'. I do it for character and no other reason. But thanks to those who try and educate me. Goodness knows, I need it for other grammar errors. It is very nice of you.

Here is the key again:

"Blah" … normal talk

"Blah" … twin speak or foreign language, this includes parseltongue.

'Blah' … thoughts

'Blah' … off stage talking, and store and book names, plus for this chapter to hide identities

Blah… spells

"Blah" Riddle's dairy

Hphphp

November 1, 1992 Hogwarts

That night, Harry was sitting in his common room looking at the innocent seeming leather bound book. Tom Riddle's name was on the front of it, and he knew who that was, so he knew not to use it, but he was curious. He opened it and noted it was blank; however, there was an overwhelming urge to write in it. So he took out a quill and ink and wrote, "Harry Potter, November 3 1992," as if it was his own diary.

The ink disappeared and the words formed, "Hello, Harry Potter, my name in Tom Riddle."

'Well that's weird,' the twin thought. He thought he was fighting the compulsion charm, but he also wondered about the man who tried to kill him, and what drove him to do so. He was about to write some more when the book was ripped from his hands and thrown into the fireplace.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Terry hissed furiously at the dark haired boy. "That book belongs to Riddle. He was an evil man, so it is probably cursed. Are you trying to die?" he glared at his friend for being stupid.

"You're right," Harry said and then looked at the fire and noted the book was not burning. "Thanks, Terry. I have no idea what came over me. You saved mine life, or at the very least my soul. Who knows if I could have fought that diary off? Thanks again." He clapped his friend on the shoulder, and then got up and started towards the stairs. "I'm going to have to wait until the fire dies to get that. Keep an eye on it for a minute, I need to call my mum," he asked his still pissed off dorm mate.

"Yeah, mate, but hurry. I don't want to be alone with that thing," Terry said, nodding his head and sat right in front of the fireplace, blocking the view of the book. It was around eleven in the evening, so thankfully there were only a few students awake.

Harry ran upstairs, grabbed his mirror, activated the security and said, "Lily Potter."

Lily's face came on and she said in an almost frantic voice, "Harry, what's wrong now? I swear we never should have let you guys go to Hogwarts." She seemed tired. Her hair was in a sloppy bun and there were dark rings under her eyes, like she slept in days.

"Mum, I need you to send me something to put that book in. There's a compulsion charm on it and the horcrux interacts with anyone who writes in it," Harry explained, ignoring his mum's griping, though he was worried about her health.

"Oh, sweetie, don't tell me you wrote in it. You know who it belonged to. Nothing good can come of that," she said, looking over her child as best she could through the mirror. She nodded, relieved that he didn't seem possessed. "I'll send a box right now. Dobby will be there in a few minutes. Put the book in the box and give it to him. We'll take it from there. Try and make sure no one sees him," came the short orders.

"Mum, Dobby… really? Can't you send Tilly or one of the others?" he all but begged. While he liked the little guy, the elf was loud and bouncy.

"Don't worry, I'll stress the importance of not being seen," she said with a smirk. "Think of it as punishment opening a cursed object."

"Fine," he huffed, and then his face softened. "Mum, I am sorry that I worried you. I just wanted to know Riddle, and why he turned bad. But, you're right, it was stupid, and I won't do it again. I am really, really sorry," Harry apologized profusely. What he said was true, it was dumb to think he could control something as Dark as a horcrux.

Lily sighed and ran a weary hand over her face. She didn't know how much more trouble she could take. "I'm not really angry, but, Harry, you could have been hurt," she said and then looked away to give Dobby orders to get the box to Harry. She made sure to tell him not to make any noise. "He'll be there in a second. Just put the book in the box and give it back to him. I love you, sweetie, try not to defy any Dark Lords for at least a week. I don't think my heart can handle it," she said with a smile to let him know that he wasn't in trouble.

Dobby popped into the room, ran and hugged Harry's legs, making him fall onto the bed. "Okay, Mum. Dobby is here, but it might be a minute. Terry threw the book in the fire so I have to wait until it burns down some. But, the second it does, I'll get it to you," Harry said, glad his mum wasn't too mad at him.

"Harry, are you a wizard or not? You've been floating things since you could crawl. Just levitate it into the box," Lily said, exasperated.

Harry blushed, and smiled sheepishly. "Well, you're the one who always made us try and do without magic. You said we'd get lazy," he said in mock accusation, then sobered up seeing as his mum wasn't smiling. He did wonder what was going on at home to make his mum so short tempered.

"Just get the book. Done." And the mirror went blank.

The dark-haired boy stared at the mirror in confusion. His mum was rarely that sharp with them. He looked at Dobby and wondered if he should ask him. Then figured he wouldn't know, so he held out his hand for the box, smiling at the little house elf.

The excitable elf gave his master the box and the young man went downstairs. Terry was still blocking the fireplace and the non-burning book.

"Terry," Harry whispered, bringing the other boys attention to him, "make sure the coast is clear. Mum sent me a container to put that in, but I don't want anyone seeing." He crept as close to the fireplace as he could get, placed the box on the floor and opened it.

Terry looked around and noted that the five people left in the room were focused on their homework. "You're clear, but hurry."

Harry floated the book into the box with a simple wave of his hand. He could feel the heat on the diary, but not even a page was singed. He quickly closed the box, thanked Terry and ran up the stairs. He gave it to Dobby and thanked him, earning another hug on the legs. He got his mirror out and called his mum. He told her it was on the way and disconnected. It was getting late and he wanted to see if he could take a nap before Sally came and tortured… trained him.

November 3, 1992 Hogwarts

Today's History class was the main topic of conversation once again, and Gary was looking forward to the lesson. He went into the classroom and sat at his assigned seat, which was still next to Hermione. She had read about the house elves, and offered an apology the first day of school. So Gary was quite comfortable around her, though Harry was not. The older twin didn't like her bossiness and overbearing ways, but the younger was used to them and he remained friends with the bushy-haired witch. The rest of the Mutineers were equally divided, and that would keep her from being part of the gang.

The Professor came in and called for quiet. When the class calmed down, she started her lesson. "As a ghost I am privy to a lot of information that you are not. There is little written history of the Chamber of Secrets, but here is what I know from those who have passed on."

Everyone stopped talking the minute she started. They had heard that this was what was going to be taught and didn't want to miss a word.

"Salazar Slytherin disagreed with the other Founders about the importance and the acceptance of Muggleborns at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At that time, while there wasn't an active witch hunt, people still persecuted them. He was concerned that the Muggleborn would bring their families or hunters to the castle. As the other Founders were against him in this matter, they fought. It was during one of those arguments that he left the school. He was later killed by religious fanatics."

A few of the pure-bloods shared a look, so did some of the Muggleborn, though for different reasons.

"According to legend, before Salazar left, he created a secret chamber deep underground— known as the Chamber of Secrets. This Chamber is home to a monster — we're not telling you what it is, just that we know and will handle it," she said, getting groans from the class.

She had already told Dumbledore and Amelia what it was and that it was contained within the Chamber. There were massive talks about closing the school, but the Board shot them down. They stated that no one was hurt, and that the mangy cat would be fine. If they closed the school they would have to pay back tuition, and they simply could not afford to do that.

Hands shot up in the air as many students had questions. "Why did he put it there?" Hermione asked, after she was called on.

"The monster was allegedly supposed to purge the school of all Muggleborn students. Slytherin's spirit denies this, and according to him it was merely a pet, but legend tells different. This myth also stated that only his heirs could open his room, through the use of parseltongue. Over the centuries after Slytherin's death, many headmasters conducted searches of the school to find the Chamber. None, however, were successful, and the Chamber was dismissed as a mere legend by many. When it was opened in 1943, it was revealed to be real, yet still never found."

The sound of quills meeting parchment was heard throughout the room as most students wrote down the lecture. Professor Watts was notorious for give homework on her lectures, and not just what was in the History books.

"There is clear evidence that the Chamber has been opened more than once between its creation and the twentieth century. When first created, it was accessed through a concealed trapdoor, which only a parselmouth could open. When Hogwarts' plumbing became more elaborate in the eighteenth century, the entrance to the Chamber was threatened. The heir in school at the time was a student called Corvinus Gaunt. He was a direct descendant of Slytherin. He explained to me how the trapdoor was protected. Back then it was he that told future heirs so that those who knew how to access the entrance to the Chamber, even with the 'newfangled plumbing' on top of it." She stopped for a moment to see if they were paying attention, and noted that every student there was hanging on to her every word. So she continued, tapping her ever present ruler on her leg.

"The Chamber was last opened by a young boy by the name of Tom Marvolo Riddle," she glared at the students that started whispering. "He, as you know, was later known as Lord Voldemort. Through his mother, he was the last remaining direct descendant of Slytherin. In his fifth year, Riddle located the secret entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, and was able to control the monster. He turned the beast loose on the school, injuring many, and killing one."

"Why wasn't he caught?" came the question for Susan, after she raised her hand and the professor pointed to her.

"That is a good question, one I will be answering in just a moment," the ghost teacher said with a nod. "Now, the last victim of the monster was a student named Myrtle Warren, who you know as Moaning Myrtle, she was killed in the bathroom that she haunts. Because of her death, Hogwarts was due to be closed, which upset Riddle, who did not want to return to the Muggle orphanage where he was raised. He framed fellow student Rubeus Hagrid, who had concealed a pet Acromantula named Aragog."

"Wait, Hagrid it that old? And he had a giant spider?" Ron asked with a full body shudder, and then sunk in his seat when Professor Watts glared at him.

She continued on as if the boy hadn't talked. "Riddle convinced the Headmaster at the time, Armando Dippet, who is the one that relayed this story to me, that Aragog was the monster that had terrorized the school. Mr. Hagrid was expelled, and Riddle received an engraved trophy for Special Services to the School. Now that the Aurors know this, they are doing what they can to get Mr. Hagrid a trial. Hopefully he will be cleared and can use a wand again." Again she stopped taking a look at many hopeful faces, glad to see so many would stand up for justice.

"What happened to the Acromantula?" Ron asked, though this time he raised his hand.

"He still resides within the Forbidden Forest with his children," the teacher answered, then raised her ghostly hands to get silence. "They are being relocated, and Hagrid has been told not to have such… exotic pets."

"Whew," the redheaded second years said, wiping his forehead.

"To continue, this is what I've been told by the spirits that passed on from this school," Watts said as she started to conclude her lecture. "One of the school's ghosts informed us last night that the Chamber had been opened and though they told us how, we will not be telling you. Leave it to the adults to handle this. I am only informing you about the Chamber so you will not go through the trouble of looking for it. We, the teachers, know where it is, the Aurors have been called, and a watch has been posted to keep you kids out of there. They are still trying to find a way to open the Chamber and rid us of the monster."

There were sly glances Gary's way; he just minutely raised a shoulder to show he didn't know.

"Your homework," Professor Watts said, causing the inevitable groans, "is to write a one foot parchment on the difference between legend and fact. What I have told you is both, but I want you to separate my lecture, factual and myth, and explain how you know. You need to learn to tell the difference." She turned and motioned to the lesson written on the chalkboard by one of the upper-years. "Write this down and turn it in on Wednesday."

Quills flew as the students followed the instructions. Many were excited about the lesson and couldn't wait to do the homework. The bell rang and the pupils gathered up their books and left the class none too quietly.

Gary let Harry know what had been said and got back the mental message "Dumbledore's not going to like this," causing both boys to chuckle.

They were right Dumbledore didn't like the lesson, but he learned last year there was little he could do about Professor Isobel Watts. She told it like it was and if he didn't like it, tough. The Headmaster also didn't like that there were Aurors in the school. There was round the clock surveillance around Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Myrtle liked it though; there was always someone around to complain to.

The few days later, at the Manor

The Hunters gathered once again to make their reports. After greetings were made and the meeting called to order they started. Once again Augusta was the first to report.

"Well, from the history lessons going on at Hogwarts, there is a lot of gossip. Tom seems to be the main topic, which is good for us. More and more people are remembering things about him from when he was in school and right after," the eldest woman said, and then she took a sip of her tea.

"Right," Wayne said, "and we already have the ring, the diary and the necklace. Professor Watts gave us information on the orphanage, so we have another area to look. From what Augusta has heard we might be looking for the Hufflepuff cup and the Ravenclaw diadem. There is also talk about the Gryffindor sword, but no one has seen the diadem or the sword since the time of the Founders, so we don't know if Tom found them or not. He just asked many questions about them during his time working at the store."

"Has anyone asked the Hogwarts Ghosts," Kenton wanted to know.

"Most of them are after the Founders' time, and they say they had little action with Riddle, but we have someone working on them," Lily answered, sharing a look with her husband.

"Well, that's something," James said as the group mulled it over. They had come to a standstill in their search. It was keeping them up at night, that and having something more happen at Hogwarts. "Amelia, how goes it with the goblins?" he asked, turning to the formidable DMLE Head.

"Slowly, the committee they formed said 'no'," she sighed. She had been in talks with them for months, but was getting nowhere. "They don't like us poking around. I tried to tell them what might be in their vaults, but they said without evidence they can do nothing."

"We have the diary, with Riddle's name on it. Do you think it might help? We haven't cleansed it yet. Oh, and you can tell them we know how to rid the horcruxes of the soul pieces without damaging the container. That might help," Lily said excitedly. She was very proud of her group's accomplishment.

"Yes, that might be just what I need," Amelia said thoughtfully. Though she was loathed to even touch the box the book was in.

"I don't know how susceptible goblins are to compulsion charms, but you might warn them anyway," James warned, he didn't want them to get on the bad side of that nation.

"Another good idea," the woman with the monocle stated.

"Wonderful, was there anything else?" the male Potter asked, clapping and rubbing his hands together. He loved it when things worked out, maybe they could get some much needed sleep.

"I am concerned that Harry's ability to talk to snakes might get out," Albert said as he read from his notes.

"What brought that up?" Lily asked, not wanting the headache that would bring.

"Rita's latest article," he answered with a shrug. "Somehow she got into a secret meeting, and published some dirt on Fudge. He denies it all, but I was talking to some of the fellows at work and they confirmed it. So she has a small Animagus form, which we might not catch.

"Shite, that would be bad," James said, running a hand through his hair. "Suggestions?"

"We could use Harry to open the Chamber," Amelia said with a great deal of frustration lacing her voice. So far they hadn't been able to get in there. They blasted the sink apart and tried cutting around it but the wards were too strong. They even called in curse breakers, but still nothing.

"Let's hold off on that," the boy's father said, not wanting his child anywhere near a Basilisk. "Unless we really have to, I don't want him involved. That and the Headmaster would know and use it against us."

"We could start selling the book," Sirius said, he mind running over solutions. If Skeeter got ahold of this, it would be very, very bad.

"That might draw her attention faster," Kenton Brocklehurst said as he too went over the problem.

"We could go to the press first, or do both. Go to the press about the book and why we want it sold," Remus said. He looked at James and Lily, "Remember what I said about crowd mentality. If you tell everyone at once then you are likely to control what they think. If you hide it and it gets out then you've lost that control. I say get your lawyer on it as well."

"But, the Headmaster…" Lily started only to be interrupted.

"Will know no matter what you do. You can't hide this, you can control it," the werewolf argued gently.

"Still, I don't want Harry's name attached to anything," James said, rapping his knuckles on the table.

"I understand," Remus conceded, "So how can we do this without Harry?"

"We could get one of the more reputable reporters and Xeno, of course, tell them we know a parselmouth who wants to open the Chamber and sell our little book? Hmmm, we're going to have to think on that," Lily said worry now etched in her face, her finger tapping away on the table in thought, until James grabbed her hand to make her stop. So much for a good night's sleep.

"Let's call another meeting and we can decide as a group, just like we always do," James suggested and the meeting broke up from there.

The next day at the castle

Parvati approached Gary the next day with a gleam in her eyes, meaning she had good gossip. There was also a hint of worry.

"What's up, Parvati?" he asked when she got close enough.

"So me and Lavender have been busy," she started, taking Gary's sleeve and pulling him away from the other students. "It all started when the Headmaster tried to take you and Harry away on Halloween. There are rumors that both of you are the heirs of Slytherin. We're doing our best to crush them, since I can say I know your family tree. It is a good thing it is well known you keep that at the Manor and anyone can see it."

"I don't see the problem," the younger twin said as he leaned against the wall out of the way of the student body traffic. He had been going to the Great Hall for study hour and the halls were busy.

"That's not all I've heard," she whispered, getting close enough not to be overheard. "We don't know how, but there's rumor that there is a parselmouth at Hogwarts. Because Professor Watts said that only a parselmouth could open the Chamber of Secrets, then there must be one here. And with the rumor about you two being the heirs of Slytherin… well, you can see where this is going," she explained, worrying her robe sleeve.

"Shite," Gary said and relayed the message on to Harry via their link. He heard his brother cuss back in the same way. "Thanks for telling me, Parvati," he said and gave her an absentminded kiss on the cheek and wandered away.

She giggled and said to herself, "I better not tell Susan." And she followed the dazed boy to the Hall.

November 6, 1992 Potter Manor

The parents were worried; they'd been getting mirror calls for the last few days about the gossip. An emergency meeting was called, and at least one guardian for each Mutineer was there, barring the Dumbledore supporters. Whispers and ideas were flying about the room. Everyone claimed their usual seats and tea services were once again spaced around the table.

"Okay, everyone, quiet down," James said in a loud voice, standing at the head of the table. As usual, he was taking control of the meeting. "I know you're all worried, so we're here to see how we can maintain control. So… ideas? One at a time, please. Let's start with Amelia and work our way around. Everyone got a pencil and paper?" Nods were seen and Madam Bones stood.

"Thank you, James, I won't take long. My idea is simple, have Harry open the Chamber of Secrets to let the Department for the Control of Magical Creatures in to slay the beast," she said, looking around the room. It was a good idea, one that if used correctly could help a lot. "It will show that he wants to help."

"I like it," said Wayne Sr., slapping his hand on the table in approval. "But, I don't think we should put Harry in the spotlight like that. I think maybe we should use the mirrors. That way he can open it from the safety of an empty classroom or his bed. Then you can keep his name out of the report and only call him 'a student'."

"No, 'a person'," Lily argued. "Calling them a student will spark the rumors more."

"That's a great idea," said Hannah's mum as she clapped in approval. "If you use the media when you open this… Chamber, then it would go even better. Is your department going to kill or just capture the beast? I'm afraid I don't know much about Basilisks." She was still learning about the Wizarding World her daughter was in. She knew a lot thanks to the Potters and the other Mutineer parents, but there was still so much she didn't know.

"They will try to capture it first, if that doesn't work then they will have to put it down," was Amelia's reply. "Which media do you think we should use? I can get the Wizard Wireless Network to the castle for such a historical event as opening the Chamber of Secrets." She knew the owner and he owed her a favor, being the Head of the Department of Law Enforcement came in handy once in a while.

"I can also be there," offered Xeno, marking something on the pad in front of him. He had come far since the death of his wife, and it was all thanks to the friends he had in this group. "Such an event would sell lots of papers. I can even call it a collector's edition."

"These are all good suggestions," James stated with huge sigh, thankful that they could keep Harry's name out of the press.

"I think we should start selling the book," Lily put her two Knuts worth in. "If we say there are…" she paused to think of a good number, "four authors then that would also keep the limelight off us. Who wants to claim ownership of the book?"

Many raised their hands and a vote was cast, it was decided that no one with political clout would be an author of such a controversial book. So in the end Aric Davis, Wayne Hopkins, Sarita Patil, and Gifford Abbott decided to make the claim. They'd sell the book once the Chamber was open and use the press to push their point. The rest of the night was used to make plans to open the Chamber. They had to act fast, before they could be stopped.

November 8, 1992

It was dinner time at Hogwarts, dessert had just been served, when the door opened and Amelia Bones, Xeno, three goblins, five burly looking men, and twenty Aurors walked in.

Dumbledore rose from his chair and went to greet the group. "Amelia, what a wonderful surprise. What brings you to the castle, my dear?" Albus asked in his ever so kind grandfather voice, the one that put said woman's teeth on edge.

"Didn't you get the memo? We're here to capture the beast in the Chamber of Secrets," she said, lifting an eyebrow.

The students nearby started excited whispers, and soon the whole Hall knew why they were there.

"Yes, I did receive such a memo. However, I sent a missive back stating we had everything under control," the Headmaster stated firmly. He didn't want anyone to take that glory away from Hogwarts.

"Oh, you know how to get into the Chamber without a snake speaker?" Amelia asked in a condescending voice that just dripped with sarcasm.

"Alas, not as of yet," the old man sighed. "Nevertheless, my staff is working on the problem and we expect it to be solved quickly," he offered in a placating tone.

"We have a parselmouth that is willing to help," she said, maybe a little louder than necessary, since her tone carrying across the Hall.

Once again setting the children into an almost frenzy. Though, their voices never carried above a whisper, because they wanted to hear what was being said.

"A parselmouth you say? Amelia, my dear, wherever did you come across someone with such a talent? And one that is willing to help your Department? Such a person would be a treasure to behold, indeed," the Headmaster asked with a lifting of his bushy eyebrows. He was shocked, he knew of no such person, and as such one should not exist, unless they were not from the United Kingdom.

Amelia smirked, Dumbledore played directly into that, there was no way he could back out of his praise now that the whole school heard. Not to mention one of the men behind her was a reporter for WWN. Xeno also stood by, his quill flying across the parchment by his side.

"This person does not wish to be known; therefore I will not be giving his or her name," the Head of the DMLE informed him. She turned to the student body and cast the Sonorus and said, "I need everyone to go to their dorms. We are going to rid the school of the Slytherin monster, but we don't want to take the chance of anyone getting hurt. These Aurors behind me are here to make sure you stay in your dorms. I am sure your headmaster will send your desserts to the common rooms for you to enjoy." She cast the Quietus and then turned back to Albus and raised her eyebrow.

"Prefects take the students to your dormitories. The house elves will bring your desserts," he complied, not seeing any other choice.

The students got up and loudly left the Great Hall and quite a few of the red-robed men and women followed them. The kids were happy that this was going to be taken care of, though they were a little let down that no name was given.

When the Hall was clear of students, Amelia's group and the professors went to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom to tend to the monster. There were still a few of her men left. They would be there to prevent the giant snake from getting into the castle.

One of the burly men startled the staff of Hogwarts by saying, "This is it folks, live at Hogwarts, as you heard earlier Madam Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and members of the Department for the Control of Magical Creatures are going to open the fabled Chamber, with the help of an unnamed parselmouth. This is history in the making, stay tuned to find out how this momentous occasion unfolds." He spoke into a mic that was pinned to his robe, they hadn't even noticed it.

Dumbledore was about to tell the man he needed to leave, until he realized it was a live broadcast.

Amelia ignored the reporter and pulled out her mirror, set the security and called Harry. When his face, behind a cloth, appeared she warned him not to talk English as she was taking off the security.

Myrtle pointed to the sink that she had seen Ginny disappear down, the same one that had the eyes that killed her. She then dived into her favorite toilet bowl and hid at the u-bend.

Madam Bones shook her head at the ghost's antics and took the mirror to the entrance, undid the security, and pointed it to the snake carved in the sink.

"Open, says me?" came the hiss from the mirror, you could actually hear the question in the phrase.

The sink started to slide apart, it seemed to expand and then fold back away from a deep, dark tunnel. The smell from the slime in the pipe that was exposed was nauseating. Amelia, the goblins, and the four men that weren't reporters, simultaneously cast a cleansing charm down the tunnel. The staff and the remaining Aurors stayed to the back and let the team do all the work. Harry hissed again, and iron stairs appeared.

"Person," she said to the cloth covered face, "I want you to stay at the mirror in case you are needed later." Inside she was smirking at the disgruntled face of Dumbledore. She knew he was upset that he didn't know who was on the other side of the mirror.

"I feel that Severus and I should accompany you down," the Headmaster suggested with a big grin, like he was doing them a favor. "Severus is the Head of Slytherin after all," he said at the other teachers' protest that they should join.

"As long as you stay behind us," one of the burly men said, "I don't get a damn what you do."

"Remain here in case the beast escapes," the Headmaster told his staff, but motioned for the Potions Master to follow.

So Amelia, Dumbledore, Snape, the reporters, and the magical creature men went down the stairs. There were various degrees of awe on their faces. Snape was overjoyed to be in Slytherin's Chamber, though you could only see it in his eyes.

The reporter was giving step by step description, things like 'We are going down a dark and creepy staircase, no light is here, but for our own Lumos' or 'We've come to the bottom of the stairs and there are thousands of skeletons of small animals. No doubt food for the monster we are about to face.' All of this theatrically spoken in a harsh whisper, to make the listeners feel the foreboding atmosphere.

They came upon a set of double doors that wouldn't open, so Amelia held up the mirror to the snakes that lined the door. The people at her back had their wands ready to capture or kill the beast that might be hidden behind these doors. The reporter made sure to state that they would not have made it this far, was it not for the helpful parselmouth. He also promoted the new book release that was scheduled for the next day at 'Pandora's Box' in Diagon Alley.

"Open, says me," came from the mirror.

This hiss caused the snakes to move around the door with hissing of their own. Soon the doors opened with an ominous screech. The adults all slowly crept into the large cavern.

Statues of snakes were everywhere. Water was dripping off the walls, the sound of it echoed throughout the room.

The party spread out and hid behind the statues and pillars that lined the room. It was up to Harry to see if he could control the Basilisk. The goblins and the hunters were ready to slay at a moment's notice. The only noise that could be heard above the dripping water was the reporter's furiously whispering of the events into his mic.

Now this password Harry knew from Sally, who got it from Salazar. The Founder didn't know the passcode of the sink, since it was set after his time. So when Amelia showed him the ugly statue, he hissed, "Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four." The Potter twins had made sure that Sally gave Salazar a hard time over that.

The large snake slithered out and smelled all the prey in its tunnels. It was about to strike when a loud hiss commanded it stop. "Who dares to try and control me?" it said to the unseen voice.

"Sasha, listen to me," Harry hissed using the Basilisk's name. "Salazar spoke to me from the grave. He wants you to go with these men and they will take you somewhere where there is prey. You will no longer have to haunt these tunnels."

"You know my name? Let me see you, so that I may look upon one that was chosen as my Master's voice."

"I cannot, for I am not there. I am only here in voice. I do speak for Salazar; he gave me your name so that you may know this. 'Sasha will listen,' he told me. 'Call her name and tell her that her Master commands she go with this group of slayers.' He does not want to see you dead. Please, close your eyes and coil up so they may transport you. Do this and they will know you comply. Do not and you will be killed." Harry begged the King… err… Queen of Serpents.

The large snake slithered around herself in thought and confusion. She knew well the voice spoke the truth about Salazar. But many of his heirs had also spoken to her, commanding that she killed the impure of the school. She was old and tired, maybe it was time to die. She continued to hiss and argue with herself, causing the team to get agitated.

They readied themselves to cast the charm to call the roosters. The goblins prepared their swords and reflective shields.

Finally the snake coiled upon itself, stilled and closed its eyes. She hid her head within the coils.

One of the wizards peeked around the statue that hid him, and when he saw she complied he took a shrunken metal box out of his robes and placed it on the floor. He cast the spell to enlarge it, keeping an eye on the snake the entire time. When the box was the size of Sasha, he nodded to Amelia and hid back behind the statue. When he was completely hidden she told the person to ask the snake to enter it. He did and the snake obeyed. The box was hauled away.

The rest was anticlimactic.

The reporter for the WWN went around the room and described it to his listeners, once again praising the 'person' who saved the lives of the team sent to capture the basilisk. Reminding them to purchase the new book, 'They're Not All Evil —The True History of Parselmouths'.

Snape looked on in wonder at that marvel of a chamber of one of the Founders. Already thinking of ways it could remain open.

Harry and the Ravenclaw gang, who were with him so that no one could say it was only Harry that was missing, went and joined the rest of the kids for dessert. The Mutineers of every House had hidden away until they got the word to join their House.

In the common rooms of all four Houses, the WWN was playing a blow by blow description of what was happening in the Chamber. Everyone was so enthralled with the reporter's words that they never noticed the group of second and first years that only now just joined them.

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The book went on sale the next day, and because of the happenings the previous day at Hogwarts, it was sold out by the end of the day. Xeno spent the night making more.

Older parselmouths, who had remained hidden due to Riddle, came out and praised the book that freed them of the bad history of their talent. They gave interviews about what they did for a living. Most, like those in the book, were potion gatherers or village healers. There were only a few, but it still lent credence to the book and took the pressure off the 'person'.

The curly-haired reporter with the Quick Quote Quill tried to vilify the book as a cover up, but she had lost most of her following because of the lawsuits. She was furious. She had had an article already drawn up to take down the Potters on the hearsay of the students of Hogwarts. Now, because of the Chamber's opening being live, she couldn't use it. She would get them sooner or later, or her name wasn't Rita Skeeter.

Professor Watts had a house elf go and purchase the new book and used it in her class for every year. Once again, going against the Headmasters orders that she not do so.

There were of course those that still held Slytherin as the evil pure-blood that they were raised to believe. Those such as Ron Weasley, Faye Dunbar, and Leanne Jameson would not be swayed that parselmouths were not evil. Faye and Leanne were vocal enough that they were taken from the Mutineers, and they too stopped remembering what the group was about. They teamed up with Ron, Seamus and formed their own small group. No one really paid them any mind.

Hermione was torn. Her group of friends was becoming very divided, and she didn't want to lose any of them. She was going to have to sit back and see how this played out.

Those such as the Malfoys and other Death Eater families would not believe that Slytherin was misunderstood. However, sheep will be sheep and these protesters were the minority.

The Potters once again dodged a bullet and this time their name was nowhere near the ruckus.

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A/N: The lecture is adapted from Harry Potter wiki, which I do know it not the end-all of all thing Potter, but I prefer it.